by Tigris Eden
“I know you’re awake, daughter.” His hazel eyes pierced her with a glacial stare.
“Your point?” Where the fuck am I?
“There is no point.”
“Why am I here?”
“Didn’t Frankie tell you? You’re here to serve me in all the ways a daughter should serve her father. I need something, and you’re the only one who can retrieve it.”
“I’m not going to help you.”
“Yes, you are.”
“Why would I do that?”
“Because if you don’t, I’ll rip my unborn granddaughter from your womb.”
Olivia couldn’t hold in her gasp. Her mouth dropped open. She couldn’t be pregnant. She’d only been with Blue twice. But it only takes one time. Absently, her hand went to her belly. Her womb tightened in response. She drew her head back stiffly and cringed.
“You’re lying to me. I can’t be pregnant.”
“Why would I lie? I have no reason to lie. My intentions are clear. You help me, and your daughter lives. You don’t, well, she dies, and you probably will as well. Because I meant what I said. I’m literally going to rip her from your womb. That in itself sounds like a painful situation.”
She didn’t know how she knew, but she did. The man before her, the one who’d helped to give her life, wouldn’t lie to her. He had no reason to. All his cards were on the table. He wanted something from her, and he didn’t care what he had to do to get it.
“What do you want me to do?”
“Don’t sound so solemn, daughter. You may even like this next part of the adventure. Aside from motherhood, slaughtering an entire Clan of wolves may be to your liking.” Her father’s face contorted, and Olivia saw him for the monster he was. Sunken, soulless eyes narrowed into slits. “You will take me to the Silver Bow of Artemis.”
“I don’t even know where the Bow is.”
“You may not know, but the Arrow of Power does. They call to one another. Lost lovers who want nothing more than to be reunited.”
“After I find the Bow, what happens then?”
Her father smiled, showing perfect, white teeth, setting off his warm-toned skin.
“Death, of course. Lots of death.”
They were back in Alaska. The witch had transported them using her magic. Blue hated magic. His stomach roiled, and he bent forward, releasing the contents of his stomach.
“Don’t worry, the nausea will pass. We gotta head to the mountain. We don’t have much time. Vega will be here, and soon. My sister has already agreed to help him.”
“How do you know?”
Francesca tapped the side of her head. “Another thing, I’m also a Seer, but I only see fragmented parts of the future. Somewhere along the way, I got all screwed up in the head.?”
Shit. She was a Seer. Victor was going to have him served up on a platter raw. The last Seer had been Anna.
“Why would she agree to help?”
“Why would any woman mated to a wolf agree to bring about the end of her man’s kind?” Francesca shrugged. “Who the hell knows. I wasn’t able to glean that part of the future. We need to move, and we need to get to the mountain fast.”
“Not until you tell me everything. You promised.”
“Fine, but you’re getting the CliffsNotes version. My sister and I were both reincarnated into the bodies you see now. Our father, Vega, is also a reincarnation. Olivia is your destined mate, and would have gladly served you in all your kinks had you not severed her head in battle. She was reborn in this time. My father knew and made sure that Roman knew, and from then on, it was a waiting game. But Rosa, Olivia’s mother, refused to leave California. Vega had her killed. My mother, who’s still alive and also a raving lunatic, wanted me to be your mate. I was raised thinking of you as my knight in shining armor. I had pictures of you plastered on my wall as a teenager. Any who, dear old Dad set it up to where Olivia gained access to your funds. You didn’t know this, as it was by way of Red, but you basically paid to put your mate through college. You funded your ladylove’s life, just never knew it.”
“What I want to know is how Vega plays into all of this, and why is Roman working with him?”
“Simple. Power. They both want it. But they aren’t the only players in the game. Nerina Simpson, your best friend’s Eros…her past employer also wants a shot at the Bow and Arrow. The Mistress held the Bow for a time, looking for the Arrow. But Victor stole it. We all get moved around in this game of power, and it’s all coming to a head. All the key players are lined up, and the only thing left is the fight ahead. It’s unavoidable.”
Blue digested her words.
Worry for Olivia ate at his gut. Left with little choice, Blue took Francesca to the mountain.
18
Olivia walked alongside the two thugs on either side of her. A club called Thirsty. A Vampire club. Loud bass pumped viciously through the speakers. Strobe lights turned the dancers into a collection of robotic-like bodies with practiced jerks and bumps. In the corner, two women sucked at the neck of a male who lay prostrate on the plush sofa. Olivia could smell sweat, stale alcohol, and the acrid scent of weed. Hot and stuffy with something bold and coppery wafted across Olivia’s nose. Blood. Lots of blood. A nightmare of a fragrance only worn by the dead.
“Keep moving, and stay inside the circle,” Vega warned.
“What circle? I don’t see a circle. What I do see, are your men crowding my space.”
Vega turned cold eyes on Olivia. “They are the circle. You can test me if you want. You may be of my blood, but I don’t have a problem with harm coming to you—or causing it myself.”
Someone in the crowd yanked on her arm, making Olivia stumble.
“What do we have here?” a male’s voice asked.
“She is not for you, she is for Roman.”
Green eyes pierced the darkness, and Olivia yanked her arm away. The man’s nails dug painfully into her skin, breaking the surface. He hissed before stepping away.
“I said, she is not for you, Callum.”
Callum? As in Blue’s Callum? If he were one of Blue’s men, she wouldn’t know, she had no clue what the male looked like. But if he was in pain, he had to be a werewolf. They were the only ones affected by her tattoo and the silver within. Olivia stopped, halting the group.
“Callum? Are you a friend of Blue’s?”
The green gaze appeared out of the darkness again, stepping into a stream of light. Olivia stared at the male. Chained to the wall, drip lines hooked into his forearms and neck fed him fluids intravenously. His form was gaunt yet somehow powerful.
“Who are you?” Callum growled.
“I’m Olivia, Blue’s mate.”
The male stared at her for a moment before pulling in a deep breath. “I can smell him on you, I smell his…” Callum drifted off before asking, “Why are you here, female?”
Before she could answer, the guy standing to her right pushed her forward. “Your father said move. Now move it, before I make you.” The male next to her grabbed her shoulder. Callum reached forward with clawed hands, ripping into the man’s hand.
“You will not touch her,” Callum said, his eyes flashing a brilliant yellow before pain sliced across his face, making him groan.
“Callum, know your role. Last, I checked, you were a blood bag, nothing more. Behave, unless you want to end up like your brother, Will.” Vega pointed towards the center of the club where a male was held suspended by wire and rope, dangling above women and men who held their mouths open as blood poured from his wounds. White lights bathed Callum’s brother as blood rained down on the waiting crowd. Olivia pulled in a deep breath. She was in no position to help, but if she could, she would.
Vega led them through a back door where Roman sat behind a glass table. On it lay lines of red dust that he sniffed through a rolled dollar bill. He didn’t look up from his table as he mumbled, “You’re late.”
“Yes, I know. My daughters proved resourceful.”
“I remember. A bitch with a panache for saying no at a time when yes would have proven quite useful. I could have shown you mercy, my dear. Rare for me, as I’m sure you know. Sometimes, I like to surprise people. Shame I can’t do that with you.”
“I need no mercy from you,” Olivia said, her lips thinning.
Roman looked up, his oily black hair slicked back, and his suit perfectly tailored to encase a man who was hundreds of years old if not more. He looked to be in his early sixties. A fit sixties at that.
“You’ll ask for it soon enough.” Roman’s eyes moved over to Vega, who stood next to Olivia, his hands resting on his hips. “The girl is the Arrow. You’re sure?”
“She tried to take out Allesandro earlier. Her aim’s true. And she has the mark.” Vega grabbed her arm and lifted it to show Roman.
Roman snorted a few more of the red lines. He stood, buttoning his jacket. He looked at the others in the room. “Book a flight to Alaska, it’s time I paid my daughter a visit. And bring the whore, Sasha.”
“Have a seat. Tell me about the dreams,” Roman insisted.
“I haven’t had any dreams.”
He arched an eyebrow at her response.
“Impossible.”
“Not really, ‘cause I have no idea what you’re talking about. You want to know what I dream about? I dream of you and death connecting permanently for all eternity, you sadistic fuck.”
Vega reached across and backhanded Olivia. Pain radiated on the right side of her face and her lip immediately swelled. Tears clung to her lashes as she held her breath. You are not going to cry, Olivia, suck it up. Her nostrils flared, and Olivia pulled in a deep breath. Instead of crying, she laughed. Long and loud.
“Shut the fuck up,” Vega roared.
Olivia smiled up at the man who had given her life.
“Why should I? This entire situation is funny as hell. You obviously know where the Bow is, why do you need me?”
Roman smiled, and the room grew colder. “Because, my dear, the two of you are a pair. I can’t wield one without the other. It’s your nature. The Bow will call for you. If it hasn’t already, it will, and when it does, I’ll be there. Watching. Waiting. Ready to open my arms to you as I gift you with my dark power. You’ll crave it like a crack whore on Sunday after church. There won’t be anything you can do to stop me.”
“If what you say is true, let’s get this shit show on the road, then. We don’t want to hold up your plans.” Olivia stood, wiping the blood from her lip. She narrowed her gaze at her father and grinned. “I’m going to kill you first, Padre. Don’t know how or when. But you will die by my hand.”
“Oh, I like her, Vega, she’s her father’s daughter. There is no mistaking that.”
Vega shuffled Olivia out of the room by her arm, pulling her tightly to his chest so he could hiss in her ear. “You need to get your shit together. I’m the one who can keep you alive through all of this. Remember that when you’re trying to kiss up to the boss.”
“Me, kiss ass? Nope. Not my style. Must have gotten that from my mother,” Olivia teased. Something sharp dug into the back of her hip, and Olivia cringed until she realized it was a knife. Callum. If she could get it to him, he could get away. Maybe save himself and his brother. Getting closer to her father, she asked in a shy voice, “Do you think he’s going to kill me?” Vega’s eyes flashed with sympathy before he replaced the look with aloofness.
“No, but you’ll wish he had.”
Olivia stopped walking, causing her father to bump into her. She had the handle of the knife in her hand. She coughed, hunching her shoulders before placing a hand on her father’s chest. Distraction. She shook his body while pretending to be wracked with a coughing fit. Vega stepped back and stared.
“You sick or something?”
“Bad Chinese, I guess.”
Gotcha.
She had the knife tucked against her wrist, and as they passed Callum, she called out to him, his green eyes appearing once more from the darkness. She gave him what she hoped was a telling smile.
“I wish we could have met under better circumstances.” Olivia reached forward, and Callum watched her through narrowed eyes. “Until we meet again.”
“That won’t happen,” Vega said, pushing her forward. She almost stumbled but righted herself at the last minute, the knife already in Callum’s hand as he reached out to stop her fall.
“Thank you,” he mouthed.
It wasn’t much, but it was something.
Blue watched Victor pace the confines of the cabin.
“Fuck no,” Victor sneered. “Hell. To. The. Fuck. No. Neri, love, back me up on this.”
“What Vic said. I’m sorry, but I agree with my mate. You got played.”
“The fuck I did,” roared Blue. “She didn’t know she had a half-sister or a crazed father who is the reincarnation of an Incan god. What you should be worried about, is that your sadistic father now has the Arrow of Power in his possession. She also happens to be my mate.”
“My father wants the Bow, and to get it, he has to have the Arrow.”
“And he does, Nerina. That’s why we need to act, now. We can’t wait.”
Blue had left Francesca at Eden’s Den. He didn’t feel comfortable bringing the witch to the mountain. Had he done that, Victor would have had her executed on the spot. Not happy about his decision to leave her behind, she’d moped. But Blue didn’t care. Olivia was his only priority.
“Nord and the others will not agree to divulge the location of the Bow.”
“They don’t have to. Roman has Olivia. She’s already had one dream. A dream in which she says I killed her. It was from a battle. What happens when she has another? It’s going to lead them to the bow. We need to be prepared.”
“I want to talk with the witch. Then I’ll decide,” Victor snarled.
“Vic, we don’t need a witch telling us what’s going to happen. I told you Roman would bring the fight. It’s what he does,” Nerina said, reaching out to grab his hand. Blue watched as Victor pulled Nerina into a hug. He nuzzled her neck.
“You’re in heat.”
“Only when you’re around,” Nerina giggled.
“Come to the club.”
Victor gave an obligatory nod before returning his attention to his mate.
19
An overwhelming sensation rocked Olivia’s entire body. The entire flight over, she’d been tense. Blue and Francesca were out there somewhere. She didn’t know if they were looking for her or what, but she worried. Giving the knife to Callum had been pointless. She’d hoped it would aid him and his brother so that they could escape. But, he and another woman named Sasha had accompanied them on the trip and were sitting at the back of the plane, but she could see them clearly from where she sat. Avoiding eye contact with Vega and Roman proved hard. Both men kept eyeing her as she sat across from them in the private jet. With Callum there, she at least felt comfortable enough to sleep. When they’d gotten on the plane, he’d promised her that he’d make sure nothing happened to her. Even without his strength, she sensed that he could take someone down. She’d opted for a nap, hoping it would calm her nerves. It hadn’t.
Olivia could feel the heat of Callum’s stare on her face as she stretched, her muscles tight, her limbs aching. Another dream had plagued her while she slept on the plane. Another out-of-body experience in a cave, bathed in blue light. A glacier of some sort. Inside were four werewolves. One of them, Nord, looked right at her and told her that she shouldn’t be there. Olivia hadn’t listened. Instead, she’d pushed past him, walking deeper into the cave. She’d never seen Nord or the other Elders before, had barely heard their names from Blue and the others at the mountain, but she knew who they were in her dream. She didn’t know how she knew, she just knew. Duloc, Spria, Phalan, and Nord, all four of them werewolves and able to discern future events. They weren’t seers, but in a way, they were. Being that they had a connection to Selene. Their predictions weren’t always spot-on, but
they alone had insight into what would happen within the Packs, and all four of them would rather she not go farther into the cave.
The Silver Bow of Artemis was gripped in the hands of a robed figure. White hair peeked from beneath a hood, and all Olivia could do was stare. The woman stood eerily silent. There was blood on Olivia’s arms and hands. If she wiped at her face, she knew her fingertips would come back with more red. Her breath expelled from her lungs in a rush, but before she could speak, the robed figure spoke first.
“You have finally come to retrieve the Bow.”
“I have. Will you give it to me?”
“Not without a fight,” the woman responded.
“Who must I fight to obtain the Bow?”
“You will fight who you fear, those you hold dear, and you shall cast an arrow into your one true love’s heart.”
“I don’t know where you are.”
“You do, girl. Come and find me. I’m deep in the mountain where the ice melts to water, and the ground is pure.”
She’d woken up then, and as if another part of her world weren’t rocked enough, Olivia knew where the Silver Bow of Artemis rested. The way was burned into her mind like a bad memory that would always remain. Had she said something in her sleep? Is that why Roman was eyeing her speculatively? Inside her mind, she held so much knowledge, along with the memories of Rubana. The woman Blue had killed. Now it made sense what Frankie said about being on the battle field that day. Frankie was Anna, and she was Rubana reincarnated. Every single slice of information being fed to her came from deep inside her mind. The history of Blue and his kind. The history of the Hunters. Her heritage, no longer a secret. She came from a long line of witches. Witches who were divided. Some fought on the side of good, others for the side of dark. There were even those who straddled both lines over the years. Her mother had known who her father was, and still, she fell for him. Her descent into madness was welcomed. The drugs, her death, all of it had been foretold long before Rosa was born.